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'Usually
when there are a few people we do the treatment in the clinic but there
were 104 people and there was no other space free,' he said.

Minister for the interior, Angelino Alfano, has announced an investigation.

Minister for the Interior, Angelino Alfano, has announced an investigation after the footage emerged

It shows at least two men at the detention centre standing with no clothes on, while others are undressing

Closer to Africa than mainland Europe, the island of Lampedusa is the first port of call for many seeking a new life in Europe.

Since
the Arab Spring began in 2011, chaotic conditions across swathes of
North Africa have allowed tens of thousands to set sail for Europe often
on unseaworthy wooden boats. Many die attempting the crossing.

The film shows at least two men at the detention centre standing with no clothes on, while others are undressing.

One stands arms out, as a worker in overalls sprays him from head to foot.

State television station RAI2 showed the video, which it said was shot by a migrant with a mobile phone, late on Monday.

This picture shows the sunken boat resting on the bottom of the Mediterranean

These are the body bags of those who who drowned trying to reach Italian shores off Lampedusa

The programme interviewed one of the
migrants, identified only as Khalid, who said they were lined up and
treated ‘like animals’.

The
appalling footage has emerged two months after the tragic shipwreck
that claimed the lives of more than 350 migrants including many women
and children.

The boat,
carrying mainly young Eritreans, caught fire and sank just half a mile
off the coast after those aboard lit a blanket to attract attention from
passing fishermen.

Mayor
of Lampedusa Giusi Nicolini told Rai 2 television: ‘Italy should be
ashamed. The system has to change. This is not what we were hoping to
see just two months after the shipwrecks which provoked so much weeping,
tears, commitments and promises.’

More than 330 people, including many women and children, drowned in the tragedy in October

Only about 150 of the 500 people on board are thought to have survived the shipwreck

Speaker Laura Boldrini issued an angry statement saying that ‘stripping men and women naked outside in the middle of winter’ was ‘unworthy of a civilized country’.

Miss Boldrini added: ‘These images cannot leave us indifferent. All the more so because they come after the tragic shipwrecks of October and after the commitments that Italy made in terms of reception [of asylum seekers and migrants]. This kind of degrading treatment discredits the image of our country and demands dignified responses.’

After the tragic accident Italy was condemned for its ineptitude in policing the UK’s borders. But Italy said it was unable to cope with the influx and needed more support from other EU countries.

The ship capsized off Lampedusa after a fire was set onboard to attract the attention of passing ships